About 150 female students and several female teachers in an Afghan high school were hospitalized today after drinking contaminated water at their high school. Local health officials report that the water was poisoned; the girls experienced vomiting, partial loss of consciousness, and dizziness. The students were reported to be in critical condition but there have been no reported deaths.

Local officials are “100% sure” that the poisoned water was an attack by extremists who are vehemently against the education of girls. During the Taliban’s rule from 1996 to 2001, education for girls was restricted, but in the last 10 years, girls' primary school enrollment has increased by 30 percent. Female educational facilities have been subject to attacks over the years, including a similar incident in 2010, in which nearly 100 schoolgirls were poisoned.